Semiconductor devices are widely used in a variety of electronic devices, such as laptops, smart phones and tablets. As semiconductor industry continues to thrive, electronic components (e.g., transistors, diodes, resistors, capacitors, etc.) have increasingly smaller feature sizes and hence electronic devices become more and more compact. As a result, more components are allowed to be integrated in a given area.
Due to limitation of Moore's law, three-dimensional integrated circuits (3D ICs) are a recent development in semiconductor packaging, in which multiple semiconductor dies are stacked upon one another. 3D ICs provide enhanced integration density. Hybrid bonding is one type of bonding procedure for 3D ICs, wherein two semiconductor wafers are bonded together using a hybrid bonding technique. In hybrid bonding procedure, however, localized defect may often occur on a surface of a semiconductor wafer.